Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

7 reviews

vivelarevolution's review against another edition

Yael's age is not stated. I assumed that she was a young adult for most of this book. Her brother Amram is a year older than her. Aziza is sixteen when she is introduced and begins a secret romantic and sexual relationship with him. This means that either Yael was a teenager when she had an affair at the beginning of the book, or that Yael's brother Amram is an adult in a relationship with a sixteen year old.

I don't feel comfortable continuing to read the book with this information in mind as I feel the author presented both relationships as consensual and between peers. That cannot possibly be the case. I don't understand the widespread inclination in historical fiction to portray pedophilic relationships as acceptable and understandable just because of the time period, and I don't condone it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Genocide, Violence, Rape, Antisemitism, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Sexism, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Medical content, and Adult/minor relationship

The rape is depicted graphically on pages 184-185.

rspades's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Infertility, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, and Infidelity

betag1013's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Slavery, War, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Violence, Self harm, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Animal death, Confinement, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and War

laindarko2's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Grief, Pregnancy, War, Genocide, Self harm, Child death, Death, Animal death, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Slavery, and Sexual violence

Minor: Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Chronic illness, and Confinement

emwoodley's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 "Perhaps it is possible to discover more in silence than in speech. Or perhaps it is only that those who are silent among us learn to listen."

This book was slow to start for me but as soon as soon as Yael was thrown into the desert I was immediately hooked. This book follows the lives of four women, Yael, Revka, Aziza and Shirah and how they are intertwined in this amazing historical fiction. It has elements of magical realism which I enjoy but that stay true to the essence of the people of the time and their beliefs and culture and it gripped me from start to finish. I am not a religious person by any means, but that does not stop me from enjoying a book that is heavily routed in spirituality.

Everything about these women is captivating and I implore you to give this book a try. The reason I gave this book 4 stars versus 5 is because I really did feel like everyone else's story after Yael was a bit rushed and I really wished I had more of each. I did not get as emotionally invested in Revka as I wished I had and my favorite character, Aziza, I felt could have had even more to her storyline, but I do understand at the end why this wasn't necessarily the case.

Please read this book! You will not regret it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Genocide, Death, Slavery, Murder, Self harm, and Rape

kirani's review

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Gorgeous but heartbreaking. Definitely check trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Death, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, and Self harm

Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual content

The pregnancy also includes moderate descriptions of childbirth

themoonphoenix's review

emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Violence